Wednesday, January 6, 2010

I didn't plan on filling this out for 2009, I've been lazy with my blogging lately, but reading other people's 2009 surveys made me want to write my own. After all, 2009 was an eventful year--exciting, difficult, stressful, amazing, fun, tiring--and truly memorable.

Thanks for the memories, 2009. You were fun, but I'm glad you're over. I'm looking forward to more fun and exciting stuff for 2010.

1. What did you do in 2009 that you'd never done before? Pray like I've never prayed before. Having our baby brother enter the PMA was extremely difficult for our family. We have very limited contact with him, all we could do was pray for his health and safety, and for him to be strong. The worst is over now, though. We're done being through a wringer, and we're immensely proud of Joe.

2. Did you keep your new years' resolutions, and will you make more for next year? I resolved to travel more with Abet. Check! I also resolved to save more. Check! I resolved to take better care of my skin and figure. Check on the former, big fail on the latter. So for this year, my number one resolution is TO GET MY FRIGGIN' SEXY BACK! Dang, I used to be hot. I want to be hot again.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth? Vanessa gave birth to Gab in May, Jarwin's wife gave birth to Jaden in June, and Chris's wife gave birth to Marcus in August.

4. Did anyone close to you die? Humans, no, praise God. RIP to my three pet fish.

5. What countries did you visit? Malaysia, Cambodia and Vietnam, baby!

6. What would you like to have in 2010 that you lacked in 2009? Exercise, still!

7. What date from 2009 will remain etched upon your memory, and why? I have three:

19 March 2009, the day we found out that Joe got accepted into the PMA Class of 2013

20 June 2009, Joe's Incorporation Ceremony, the day we first saw him since he entered the Academy in April--it was just after he finished two months of military training and we barely recognized him

26 October 2009, the day I saw the sun rise over the Angkor Wat

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year? Planning our 11-day, 5-city backpacking trip! And being under-budget at that.

9. What was your biggest failure? Missing Joe's Recognition Ceremony because of our delayed flight home from Vietnam. I know it wasn't my fault, Typhoon Santi was beyond my control, but I'll always feel a tinge of regret whenever I think about this.

11. What was the best thing you bought? The backpacking trip. Every single peso I spent was worth it.

12. Whose behavior merited celebration? This goes without saying: my brother Joe's. He's doing really well in the Academy. We are mighty proud of him.

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed? The Ampatuans.

14. Where did most of your money go? Travel and savings. No complaints here.

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about? Every single trip to Baguio to visit my brother got me excited. I was also excited about our trip to Davao last March to attend my friend Maedeleine's wedding. It was Abet's first time in Mindanao, and I saw my dearest high school barkada who are some of my favorite girls in the world. Of course, we were excited as hell about our backpacking trip, we were counting down months.

16. What song will always remind you of 2008? Jai Ho, Nobody, and that "I don't care" song

17. Compared to this time last year, are you:

Happier or sadder? Happier! (Yay!)

Thinner or fatter? Fatter! (Boo!)

Richer or poorer? Richer! (Yay!)

18. What do you wish you'd done more of? Read, and see more of the Philippines.

19. What do you wish you'd done less of? Eat.

20. How did you spend Christmas? Joe can’t come home (or even go outside Fort del Pilar) for the holidays, so the family was in Baguio from the 21st of December until after New Year’s Day. My family was lent a lovely house with 3 bedrooms, a fireplace, and a gorgeous view of the mountains and pine trees. Christmas Day was spent inside PMA with Joe and the other Charlie boys whose families weren’t able to visit, and Christmas evening was spent in front of the fireplace.

21. Did you fall in love in 2009? I kept on falling madly, deeply in love, over and over again. He's wonderful. I love him so much.

22. How many one-night stands? None. Never have.

23. What was your favorite TV program? Glee! I've converted my family into Gleeks-even Abet, who has proclaimed himself president of the Quinn Fabray Fan Club

24. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year? Yes. Let's leave it at that.

29. What was your favorite film of this year? Disney-Pixar’s Up. This is now one of my ultimate favorite movies. I watched this with my brother Mako, my sister May, and Abet on Mako’s laptop in Baguio.

30. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you? On my 27th, I had food from Amber’s delivered for my officemates, watched the first 7 episodes of Glee with my mom (even if I have already seen them), had dinner at Teriyaki Boy and dessert at Mom & Tina’s with May and Abet, and then May and I got our third and last cervical cancer shot.

31. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2009? Still the "I'm wearing the first thing I grabbed from the sampayan and handed to Ate Inday to iron" look

32. What kept you sane? Abet and chocolate

33. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most? Michelle Obama

34. What political issue stirred you the most? The Ampatuan massacre

35. Who did you miss? JEMIMA!!! Still my buddy, Jemima.

36. Who was the best new person you met? All the new bloggers I’ve discovered! I’ve been privately (friends-only) blogging on Blurty, LiveJournal, and Multiply since 2003, but I just discovered the joys of writing on and reading public blogs.

37. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2009: Prayer and faith are really, truly powerful.

38. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year: Year after year, it’s this: You ain’t seen nothin’ yet...The best is yet to come, and won't that be fine...The Best Is Yet To Come, Frank Sinatra

Disclosure Policy

This blog is a personal blog written and edited by me. For questions about this blog, please contact guwapa at gmail dot com.
This blog accepts forms of cash advertising, sponsorship, paid insertions or other forms of compensation.